I issued the following statement after the Senate passed Kari’s Law, a bill that amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require multiline telephone systems, common in hotels and offices, to have the ability to directly dial 911 without locating an outside line first:

With this simple change, we can help folks quickly reach the help they need in a crisis, saving seconds that could ultimately save lives. I thank my colleagues for their support and eagerly await the President’s signature on this critical piece of legislation.

I am an original co-sponsor of Kari’s Law, named after Kari Hunt, who was tragically killed in her hotel room in Marshall, Texas in 2013. Kari’s daughter was unable to reach emergency personnel because she failed to dial “9” to locate an outside line on the multiline phone in the hotel room before dialing 911. The Texas legislature passed a similar state law that went into effect in 2016.